The Reluctant Swordsman

Wallie Smith can feel the pain. He goes to the hospital, remembers the doctors and the commotion, but when he wakes up it all seems like a dream. However, if that was a dream how do you explain waking up in another body and in another world? Little Wallie finds himself in the physique of a barbarian swordsman, accompanied by both an eccentric priest babbling about the Goddess and a voluptuous slave girl. Is this a rude awakening or a dream come true?

The Cutting Edge: Part One of A Handful of Men

Beautiful Queen Inos married the loyal stableboy Rap and made him her king. They were very much in love, and they lived happily ever after. Fifteen years went by. Rap and Inos were comfortable, secure, and truly happy, raising their family in the little backwater kingdom of Krasnegar, well removed from the hurly-burly of great affairs.... But in far-off Hub, the old Imperor's health - and, some said, his sanity - deteriorated inexorably. The borderlands were seething....

Magic Casement: A Man of His Word, Book 1

Princess Inos lived an idyllic life in her fathers' sleepy, backwater kingdom, and she was best friends with her childhood companion, the stableboy, Rap. But when a prophecy seemed to say Inos should be married, she was exiled to the Impire to learn to be a lady. She was far away when Rap's magical talents began to emerge, and it was he who told her of the fate awaiting them both.

The Wind and the Void: Nightblade, Book 3

In the midst of the chaos, the actions and choices of a select few will shape the future of the land. Akira prepares to give up his Lordship. Ryuu wanders the Southern Kingdom, searching for a reason to fight. Moriko sits quietly, biding her time before she leaves the Three Kingdoms for good. Finally, across the Three Sisters, Nameless fight to keep his fragile alliance of clans together.

Nightblade

A quiet child, Moriko is forced into a monastic system she despises. Torn from her family and the forest she grew up in, she must fight to learn the skills she'll need to survive her tutelage under the realm's most dangerous assassin. Young, beautiful, and broke, Takako is sold to pay for her father's debts. Thrust into a world she doesn't understand and battles she didn't ask for, she must decide where her loyalties lie. When their lives crash together in a kingdom on the brink of war, the decisions they make will change both their lives and their kingdom forever.

King of Swords: The Starfolk, Book 1

Rigel has always known he is not quite human, but the only clue to his origin is the otherworldly bracelet he has worn since childhood. His search for his parentage leads him to the Starlands, where reality and fantasy have changed places. There he learns that he is a human-starborn cross, and his bracelet is the legendary magical amulet Saiph, which makes its wearer an unbeatable swordsman.

Wytchfire: The Dragonkin Trilogy, Book 1

In a land haunted by the legacy of dead dragons, Rowen Locke has been many things: orphan, gravedigger, mercenary. All he ever wanted was to become a Knight of Crane and wield a kingsteel sword against the kind of grown horrors his childhood knows all too well. But that dream crumbled - replaced by a new nightmare. War is overrunning the realms, an unprecedented duel of desire and revenge, steel and sorcery. And for one disgraced man who would be a knight, in a world where no one is blameless, the time has come to decide which side he's on.

Reign of Madness: King's Dark Tidings, Book 2

Equipped with skills far beyond those of the outworlders, Rezkin has been suddenly thrust into a foreign world. The young warrior clings to his only known purpose as he continues his search for any information about his identity and the reason for his existence. While the hardened warrior scorns both dueling and tournaments, he believes some of the answers he seeks may be found at the King's Tournament, the greatest dueling championship in all of the kingdoms.

Free the Darkness: King's Dark Tidings, Book 1

Raised and trained in seclusion at a secret fortress on the edge of the northern wilds of the Kingdom of Ashai, a young warrior called Rezkin is unexpectedly thrust into the outworld when a terrible battle destroys all that he knows. With no understanding of his life’s purpose and armed with masterful weapons mysteriously bestowed upon him by a dead king, Rezkin must travel across Ashai to find the one man who may hold the clues to his very existence.

To Green Angel Tower: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Book 3

The evil minions of the undead Sithi Storm King are beginning their final preparations for the kingdom-shattering culmination of their dark sorceries, drawing King Elias ever deeper into their nightmarish, spell-spun world. As the Storm King's power grows and the boundaries of time begin to blur, the loyal allies of Prince Josua struggle to rally their forces at the Stone of Farewell.

A Warrior's Penance

Following Stronghold's destruction, Rukh and Jessira lead the ragged remnants of the OutCastes on the long march to Ashoka. There they seek sanctuary for her people, but in order to do so they must overcome unyielding law that demands exile for all ghrinas. Meanwhile, Hal'El Wrestiva - exposed and reviled as the Withering Knife murderer - escapes from Ashoka and hatches one final scheme to resuscitate his soiled reputation.

In the year AD 3000, man has been savagely ruled for a thousand years by a space-plundering race of nine-foot high, gas-breathing conquerors from the planet Psychlo. One of the Psychlos, the villainous Terl, enslaves a man-creature and forces him to mine Earth gold. Terl's plan: to teleport the gold to Psychlo, where he can then return wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice. The slave emerges in the form of Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, a member of the dwindling community of only 35,000 human survivors. However, Jonnie has plans other than to make Terl wealthy.

Guy Brackett says:"I was swayed by the reviews, but I don't get it..."

Dawn of Wonder: The Wakening, Book 1

When a high-ranking officer gallops into the quiet Mistyvales, he brings a warning that shakes the countryfolk to their roots. But for Aedan, a scruffy young adventurer with veins full of fire and a head full of ideas, this officer is not what he seems. The events that follow propel Aedan on a journey that only the foolhardy or desperate would risk, leading him to the gates of the nation's royal academy - a whole world of secrets in itself. But this is only the beginning of his discoveries.

The King's Traitor: The Kingfountain Series, Book 3

Against all odds, Owen Kiskaddon grew from frightened boy to confident youth to trusted officer in the court of Kingfountain - and watched its regent, Severn Argentine, grow ever more ruthless and power-mad. Robbed of his beloved protector, his noble mentor, and his true love, Owen has anticipated the day when the king he fears and reviles, yet loyally serves, will be toppled. Now, as Severn plots a campaign of conquest, the time has come to take action...and Owen's destiny demands that he lead the strike.

No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished: Heartstrikers, Book 3

When Julius overthrew his mother and took control of his clan, he thought he was doing right by everyone. But sharing power isn't part of any proper dragon's vocabulary, and with one seat still open on the new ruling council, all of Heartstriker is ready to do whatever it takes to get their claws on it, including killing the Nice Dragon who got them into this mess in the first place.

The Queen's Poisoner: The Kingfountain Series, Book 1

King Severn Argentine's fearsome reputation precedes him: usurper of the throne, killer of rightful heirs, ruthless punisher of traitors. Attempting to depose him, the Duke of Kiskaddon gambles...and loses. Now the duke must atone by handing over his young son, Owen, as the king's hostage. And should his loyalty falter again, the boy will pay with his life.

Son of the Black Sword: Saga of the Forgotten Warrior, Book 1

After the War of the Gods, the demons were cast out and fell to the world. Mankind was nearly eradicated by the seemingly unstoppable beasts until the gods sent the great hero, Ramrowan, to save them. He united the tribes, gave them magic, and drove the demons into the sea. Ever since, the land has belonged to man, and the oceans have remained an uncrossable hell, leaving the continent of Lok isolated.

The Sorcerer's Quest: The Sorcerer's Saga, Book 1

It's not easy being the youngest of seven sons in a family of notorious sorcerers, especially for Ayden Dracre. In a world where sorcerers only practice dark magic and wizards only practice light magic, Ayden has a problem; he is very bad at being bad. Try as he might, all of his spells to cause mayhem go awry. When he finds out that his family has had enough of his mistakes, he decides to take destiny into his own hands.

The Tiger: Chronicles of an Imperial Legionary Officer, Book 2

Captain Ben Stiger captured Castle Vrell and rid it of a minion of a dark god. Now he finds himself cut off from the empire, with a hostile rebel army marching on the legion's fortress where they guard the entrance to Vrell Valley. It is not in Stiger's nature to simply wait for the enemy. Badly outnumbered and facing odds greater than 20 to one, he sets out to impede the enemy's advance and show them the steel that the legions are made of.

The Cycle of Arawn: The Complete Trilogy

The White Tree (book one): In Mallon the dark magic of the nether has been banned for centuries. Its users have been driven out or killed. Its secrets lost. But the holy book of the nethermancers has just been found by a boy named Dante. As he works to unlock the book's power, he's attacked in the street. The nethermancers aren't gone—and they want their book back. Caught between death cultists and the law, Dante fights for his life, aided by his growing skills and a brash bodyguard named Blays.

Dragon Fate: War of the Blades, 1

Delno Okonan is a young former soldier eager to put the swords and strife of war behind him, when a chance encounter leaves him inextricably entwined in a tangled web of dragons, magic, and intrigue, as he struggles to find his place among dragons and men, and stave off a plot by renegade dragon riders that threatens all he now holds dear.

Shining Fury: Tome of Bill Series

At first glance, most see only a shy girl from New York, but to the denizens of the night - vampires, witches, and their ilk - I am a nightmare given flesh, born to raze their kind from this very earth. I am the Icon, the Shining One, the last defender of humanity against the oncoming tide of darkness. They say my coming was foretold, that prophecies speak of a beacon of hope who will light the way during the end days. It is said I am destined to vanquish the last of the Magi, and face the Night Spawn in the battle for the fate of mankind.

Forging Divinity: The War of Broken Mirrors, Book 1

Some say that in the city of Orlyn, godhood is on sale to the highest bidder. Thousands flock to the city each year, hoping for a chance at immortality. Lydia Hastings is a knowledge sorcerer, capable of extracting information from anything she touches. When she travels to Orlyn to validate the claims of the local faith, she discovers a conspiracy that could lead to a war between the world's three greatest powers. At the focal point is a prisoner who bears a striking resemblance to the long-missing leader of the pantheon she worships.

The Red Sea: The Cycle of Galand, Book 1

When Dante Galand was just a boy, his father, Larsin, sailed away to make his fortune. And never returned. Since then, Dante has become a great sorcerer. A ruler. A destroyer of kings. And he's just learned that his father is living on a forbidden island at the edge of the known world. Where he's dying of a mysterious plague. In the company of his friend, the swordsman Blays, Dante travels to the island. There, his magic can do nothing for his father.

Publisher's Summary

Those who read and enjoyed the original three-volume series, The Seventh Sword, will remember that the original trilogy presents a series of surprising endings, especially in the third volume. In order to avoid spoilers, the author has chosen to skirt some issues central to those volumes in the description for this new, original and additional volume which follows the original series publications by well over a decade. New readers may wish to start with The Reluctant Swordsman, The Seventh Sword 1; The Coming of Wisdom, The Seventh Sword 2 and The Destiny of the Sword, The Seventh Sword 3, before starting on this brand-new adventure set in the world of The Seventh Sword.

The Reluctant General

For 15 years the truce has held. Swordsmen of the Tryst of Casr have kept the peace and extended the rule of law over half the World, but now sorcerers have started killing swordsmen again, and swordsmen traitors are aiding them. Shonsu-who was Wallie Smith before he became a swordsman of the seventh rank and liege lord of the Tryst-must once more gird on the seventh sword of Chioxin, and this time he rides out to fight the war that he hoped would never come. As he leads his army forth, its two most junior members are Vixini, son of Shonsu, and Addis, son of Nnanji, who has an oath of vengeance to fulfill. Their failure or success will determine the fate of the World for the next thousand years.

Different narrator; possibly having them not speak so close to the recording microphone. The Narrator has a pleasant voice, and I believe I would have enjoyed it, but the speakers in both my tablet and in my vehicle accentuate the high pitched "s" sounds he makes

What was most disappointing about Dave Duncan’s story?

I couldn't listen to it for more than 2 minutes. I loved the other books, both in print and in audio (all from Audible). But not this one - the Narrator is different from the other books, and this new Narrator's voice was impossible to listen to for any length of time.

How could the performance have been better?

The Narrator was either speaking too close to the microphone which caused the strident "s" sound to be accentuated, or his articulation causes this naturally.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Death of Nnanji?

I have no idea, as I only listened to 2 minutes of the production before having to cut it off.

Any additional comments?

I wish I had listened to a sample before buying it. I wish I had listened to it earlier and gotten a refund. As it is, I am stuck with a book I will never listen to since the audio is so irritating.

I enjoyed this entire series for light reading on a mythical planet, told in 3rd person. This book is set about 15 years after book 3. The characters make the series. Recurring characters include Nnanji, his wife Thana, their son Addis, his brother Katanji, and Shonsu/ Wallie Smith, his wife Jja, their son Vixi (a baby in books 1-3), plus a few minor secondary characters.

Good read, but the ending left me disappointed somewhat, in that certain conspirators to mass murderer weren't punished, or not nearly enough.

New narrator. Bevine is good, but he didn't pronounce Nnanji and Jja correctly. The author's note (in previous book) explained that it's Na-nanji, and Ja-ja, as the prior narrator correctly pronounced.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Death of Nnanji to be better than the print version?

Have not read the print version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Death of Nnanji?

How the author maintained that his death would be of old age and surrounded by his family.

Which scene was your favorite?

Sonsues son battling with swordsman of higher rank and winning.

Any additional comments?

It would be nice if all the books were read by the same person, or if the person who takes over in a series would listen to the previous performer, one gets use to names pronunciated in a particular manner, it changes the listening experience when names get changed.